ELLA Hutchinson is using the skills she has acquired as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme to support our retail operations.
The 14-year-old King Ecgbert’s School pupil is spending three months at our Woodseats shop as part of the scheme which supports young people as they learn new skills, overcome obstacles and build confidence and resilience.
“It is an honour to be able to do something for a charity like St Luke’s,” said Ella, who lives with her family in Dore and is volunteering on Saturday mornings as she gains the experiences that will help her attain her bronze award within the famous youth scheme.
Ella is one of the 330,000 young people who are currently part of the DofE programme – a huge force for good, dedicating 1.8 million hours of volunteering, equating to an investment of almost £8.5 million, to local communities.
“I am mainly sorting through donations, helping with Gift Aid donations and then getting items through into the shop, placing them on hanger, putting size tags on, all that sort of thing,” Ella explained.
“It’s a really good thing to be a part of and everyone at the Woodseats shop is so lovely and friendly – it’s nice to be able to give something back to the community too.
“It’s just one morning per week and it is a very rewarding thing to do, contributing to something so important and knowing that everything you’re doing is really making a difference to people’s lives, because all the money we help to raise goes towards running the hospice.
“It’s a great way to make new friends too because you’re meeting a different group of people when you’re there as well as learning new skills.”
To find out more about volunteering opportunities with St Luke’s Hospice simply visit volunteering or call the Volunteering Team on 0114 235 7639 or 0114 235 7548.